The International source of news, information, gossip, entertainment and opinions.

July 24, 2013

What can you say about a bathing suit story where half of the pictures are facial close-ups? Fantastic. In this grainy black and white portfolio of glans-revealing swimsuits, two models get the Hurrell treatment by Fidel Gonzalez. To gaze upon the entire sexy photoshoot, go here.

July 20, 2013

We are ultimately, creatures of complexity and that is certainly the case of the late Gore Vidal. In Outfest’s penultimate offering of “The United States of Amnesia”, director Nicholas Wrathall takes us on the final journey of an American scribe and intellectual.From the beginning of the film where we see a very elderly Gore Vidal visit his own grave, one can sense this is about to be a good piece of documentary film making. And it is.The story of Gore Vidal, born in 1925 is one of American privilege and wealth. One can hear in his fathers voice, and in his own voice later, that hint of aristocracy, the lingering of a vowel, reminding of us their European roots. We see a young Gore write the now infamous novel, The City and the Pillar and become condemned for it. It was 1948 and openly gay characters in literature were rare, and homosexuality was considered immoral. Vidal would be intrepid throughout his life and this novel was only the beginning.Wrathall had the good sense to let Vidal do all the talking and that he does. He speaks candidly about the Kennedy presidency (to whom he was distantly related) as the origin of the Viet Nam war, and George Bush as “the stupidest man in the United States”.Vidal moved to Hollywood and began a career as a screenwriter, penning “The Best Man” and working on the screenplay for Ben-Hur.Vidal ran for political office and never won. In the 1960s he moved to Italy with his longtime companion, Howard Austen, who would remain with him until his death in 2005. Vidal had a particular take on intimacy to which he suggested that he and Austen were best friends, not lovers and that, “ It’s easy to sustain a relationship when sex plays no part and impossible, I have observed, when it does.”He had very public feuds with William F. Buckley and Norman Mailer and one is well documented and frankly very funny, where Buckley on camera says: “Now listen, you queer. Stop calling me a crypto-Nazi, or I’ll sock you in the goddamn face and you’ll stay plastered.” Hard to imagine this kinda of thing today.This documentary inlcudes interviews with, also now deceased, British writer Christopher Hitchens about how Vidal named him his heir apparent only to then withdraw the commendation and footage showing the men’s uncomfortable last exchange, offer a different perspective to that given by Vidal himself. Vidal did not want himself written off the script as to warrant Hitchens as the heir apparent.

A beautifully crafted documentary, Wrathall's homage to Vidal is heartfelt and kind in its appraisal of a man often at odds with popular thinking, but always interesting.

In the event you haven't seen Steve Grand or his new video, "All-American Boy" here it is. His appearance on CNN today will make his already viral video even more popular, but as some of you know, there is more to this story. Mr. Grand is also a model. Mr. Grand has also been known as Finn Diesel, Steve Chatham and Steve Starchild. He has been on the cover of DNA magazine and one assumes this modelling assignments paid for his $7000 video. The video is well done, and touches on the subject of rejection. The fact that Mr. Grand (or whatever his real name is) is such a beauty IS a distraction, but you can't condemn one for being beautiful. His appearance on CNN was one of modesty and newsworthy as he is being called a gay country and western artist. You can bet on one thing: you'll be seeing a lot more of Steve Grand.

July 13, 2013

July 12, 2013

What ever inclined the programmers of Outfest 2013 to
open the eleven-day celebration of gay, lesbian and transgendered cinema with C.O.G
we may never know. Did they not
anticipate that a summer ruling by the Supreme Court might not deliver a
celebratory atmosphere that as Festival Director Laura Ivey called it a “second
summer of love”? The love was surely there in the crowded auditorium of the
venerable old theatre, The Orpheum, (in downtown Los Angeles), as a rapt and excited
audience inclined to watch the few first moments Kyle Alvarez’s cinematic
adaption of David Sedaris’s short story Naked. And hour and half later, most
folks left disappointed with this film. It is not a bad film, but it certainly
was not the right film to open this festival, this year, or any year for that
matter.

We start on a bus with a series of funny vignettes
where our lead character; David or Samuel as he likes to be called is subject
to a series of visitors who sit next to him only to reveal his own cockiness,
arrogance and inability to relate. We get off the bus in Oregon, were our
character takes up working on an apple farm. The lead is played with great
sensitivity by Broadway actor Jonathan Groff (Glee), who easily emotes. Along
the way we met the farm’s curmudgeonly owner (Dean Stockwell), a romantically
interested co-worker (Midnight in Paris‘ Corey Stoll), and Jon, who builds
clunky jade clocks shaped like the state of Oregon. The latter Jon, who is a
“child of God” and actively converts Samuel into a good church member while
visible attempting to control his own outbreaks of rage. Samuel is converted in
a strange scene where the romantic-co-worker returns and attempts to rape
him—it is here that Samuel finds God. So far, not a very good movie to give to
a rapt group of homos. This movie ends with the same ambiguity that it begins
with—a teary-eyed Samuel/David is left to walk down the road until presumably
until his next adventure, which will hopefully NOT be made into a movie.

More a series of vignettes than a coherent film, C.O.D.
does not deliver the goods needed to open a film festival with this audience.
That the lead character is gay seems to be the only ticket into this film
festival for surely a scene in which another gay man, who owns a bizarre
collection of dildoes attempt to rape is not a message that the Outfest people
should be endorsing. This gay man, as played by Jonathan Groff is curiously
asexual, a sponge on which everyone around him somewhat determines his fate.
That he has no navigation, is the stuff of movies about young men, but a point
of view, a personality of some kind would have helped, or at least encouraged
the audience to care.

In the post-film
analysis held in the parking lot of the Orpheum most tempered their remarks but
without a doubt, all were disappointed. The evening is saved by the great party
attended by an attractive, informative group of people. How often does one get
to sing Erasure’s Chains of Love while standing in line with the newly slender
Perez Hilton?

July 09, 2013

June 29, 2013

“This project is simple. Basically I’m trying to photograph as many
gay men as I can. My goal is to create a platform, a visibility on some
level, and a resource for others who may not be as openly gay. A visual
catalog of gay men and their stories. When I think of my own experience,
and all the time I spent in the closet and hiding the fact that I was
gay–to be at a place now where I feel completely comfortable being on
the blog and telling the world ‘Hey, I’m a gay man,’ I think there’s a
power in that, for me and for a lot of the men on the blog. So it’s kind
of a numbers game, I think the more men I photograph, the more impact
the project has.

My dream is to take the project to as many different cities as I can across the world.”

-Kevin Truong

If you would like to learn more about the Gay Men Project please visit his site here.

June 27, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two
landmark Supreme Court rulings that bolster gay marriage rights don't
remove all barriers to same-sex unions by a long shot. Where gay couples
live still will have a lot to do with how they're treated.

Some questions and answers about Wednesday's court rulings:

Q: Can you boil down these two big rulings — 104 pages in all — to the basics?

A:
In one case, the court said legally married gay couples are entitled to
the same federal benefits available to straight couples. In the other,
it cleared the way for gay marriages to resume in California, where
voters banned them in 2008.

Q: What type of benefits are we talking about?

A:
More than you'd expect. There are more than 1,000 federal laws in which
marital status matters, covering everything from income and inheritance
taxes to health benefits and pensions. In states where gay marriage is
legal, same-sex couples may actually be looking forward to filing their
income taxes next April — married, filing jointly.

Q. Why does it matter where a gay couple lives?

A:
Even with Wednesday's ruling, where legally married gay couples live
still may affect the federal benefits they can obtain, at least for now.
Social Security survivor benefits, for example, depend on where a
couple is living when a spouse dies. If that happens in a state that
bans or does not recognize the union, it's not for sure that the
surviving spouse will be entitled to the payments. Immigration law,
meanwhile, only looks at where people were married, not where they live.
It's complicated.

Q: What does the U.S. marriage map look like right now?

A:
It's a patchwork. Same-sex marriage is legal in 12 states and the
District of Columbia — representing 18 percent of the U.S. population.
When gay marriage resumes in California, the figure will jump to 30
percent. Twenty-nine other states have constitutional amendments that
ban gay marriage. Six states have laws that ban it. Two states neither
allow gay marriage nor ban it.

Q: How many same-sex couples in the U.S. have been legally married?

A:
The numbers are squishy. The Pew Research Center estimates there have
been at least 71,000 legal marriages since 2004, when Massachusetts
became the first state to legalize them, but says there are almost
certainly more. The Williams Institute, a UCLA-based think tank, says
approximately 114,000 couples are legally married and more than 108,000
are in civil unions or registered domestic partnerships. In California
alone, 18,000 same-sex couples were married during the 142-day period
when gay unions were legal there in 2008.

Q: What's all this talk about DOMA?

A:
DOMA is the federal Defense of Marriage Act, enacted in 1996. The court
on Wednesday struck down a section of that law that defines marriage as
a union between a man and a woman for purposes of federal law. That's
what had denied legally married gay couples access to a host of federal
benefits and programs that are available to straight couples.

Q: Why all of the focus Wednesday on California?

A:
The second case that the court addressed related to a 2008 state ballot
proposition that added a ban on gay marriage to the California
Constitution. The court didn't rule on the merits of that ballot
proposal, but it left in place a trial court's declaration that the
proposition is unconstitutional. That means same-sex weddings could
resume in California in about a month, although a federal appeals court
there said it may continue to bar gay marriages even longer if
proponents of Proposition 8 ask for a rehearing.

Q: What more could the Supreme Court have done?

A:
Tons. It could have given gay Americans the same constitutional right
to marry as heterosexuals. Instead, it sidestepped the looming question
of whether banning gay marriage is unconstitutional.

Q: What's President Barack Obama's take on all of this?

A:
He welcomed the ruling striking down part of the Defense of Marriage
Act and directed Attorney General Eric Holder to make sure federal laws
are in sync with the ruling. (Obama, who endorsed gay marriage last
year, broke with his Republican and Democratic predecessors and declined
to defend the law in court.) Already, the Defense Department says it is
beginning the process to extend health care, housing and other federal
benefits to the same-sex spouses of members of the military.

Q: How does the public feel about gay marriage?

A:
Public support has grown dramatically in the last few years, with a
majority now favoring legal marriage for gay couples. There's even
broader support for extending to gay couples the same legal rights and
benefits that are available to married straight couples. An Associated
Press-National Constitution Center poll last fall found 63 percent
favored granting gay couples the same legal benefits straight couples
had. And 53 percent favored legal recognition of same-sex marriages.

Q: What happens next?

A:
Supporters of gay marriage will keep pressing to legalize same-sex
unions in all 50 states. That means more battles in individual states,
and more visits to the Supreme Court.

June 26, 2013

Most of my friends have been together over 20 years. They are couples. Some live together. With one exception they are not married. While supporting gay marriage, they are not inclined to want to participate. They don't feel the need.

The evolution of a cause is interesting. I was at first, all in favor of using another term for marriage as long as the rights and benefits were the same. My homework revealed that "marriage" was a legal contract, not a social contract. And through the centuries marriage meant different things to different societies. For example, in the 11th century marriage was about securing an economic or political advantage. One look at the TV show The Borgias will support that notion. If you have been watching Downton Abbey, you also know that marriage could be eternally binding, and we don't mean that in a good way. It's important to remember that in many cultures, today, marriage is a pre-arranged affair, having little to do with love.

And then Andrew Sullivan spoke up: "You can have as many debates about gay marriage
as you want, and over the last 22 years of campaigning for it, I’ve had
my share. You can debate theology, and the divide between church and
state, the issue of procreation, the red herring of polygamy, and on and
on. But what it all really comes down to is the primary institution of
love. The small percentage of people who are gay or lesbian were born,
as all humans are, with the capacity to love and the need to be loved.
These things, above everything, are what make life worth living. And
unlike every other minority, almost all of us grew up among and part of
the majority, in families where the highest form of that love was
between our parents in marriage. To feel you will never know that, never
feel that, is to experience a deep psychic wound that takes years to
recover from. It is to become psychologically homeless. Which is why, I
think, the concept of “coming out” is not quite right. It should really
be called “coming home.”

It changed my mind. Sullivan argued that anything less than "marriage" was to remind gays and lesbians that they were less—a simple and cogent argument.

It is a day to celebrate. If like me, you have some malcontent friends, going on about Clinton or yesterdays ruling on Voter Rights, ask them to take a break, for a day. This is historic, this is big, it doesn't happen very often and one should really be IN THE MOMENT.

June 23, 2013

"Get over yourself..

You are completely delusional, there is no point in talking to someone that
messed up and narrow-minded. Clearly you are so invested in 'gay culture' (your
version of it) that you dont even know what the real world looks like any more.

You keep saying im avoiding gay culture then dont define what it is, even
though ive already said i dont avoid it, only the club culture. As i said this
magasine has it wrong, but no less wrong than you." —JUSTME, perpetual
commentator

JustMe is probably like you and me. On occasion he feels the need to comment
on a post found on a popular gay blog. Initially, comments address the story at
hand, and then rather quickly dissolve into a tirade of personal attacks. Like
a boxer, the writer retreats to his corner for a time, to read the follow-up comments,
and then returns with a right upper cut to the jaw, wham! Take that you
ignoramus. And it can go on and on...

There was a time, years ago back in the time when trees were turned into
paper and paper made magazines, that people would write a "letter to the
editor". A gay magazine might receive on a good month, a hundred letters.
Hand or type written, these letters would express some feeling about a story in
a recent issue and they would, after a little help from an editor, be
published.

INTER(RE)ACTIVE Then
came the Internet and everything changed. Magazines essentially went the way of
the dinosaur, saving hundreds of trees. Born in this era was something with the
unpleasant name of a blog, a contraction of the words web log. They were
journals, diaries, notes on one's existence, favoring images and texts that
allowed one into the mind of the writer. A handsome 36-year-old named Andy
Towle wrote one such blog, Towleroad, which emerged in 2003. It began like most
blogs as a diary of Andy's life featuring short videos (shot by Andy) and
observations on his life. For example, in November 2003, Mr Towle was
discussing his first encounter with the drink, Absinthe, even giving direction
on how to prepare the drink. Another entry shows Mr Towle being kissed by a
rather attractive young man. It was personal.

In 2005, David Hauslaib started Queerty. A market watch report from
2005 tells us: Queerty is published by 21-year-old David Hauslaib. He also owns
Jossip.com, self-described as a "big bag of rumors" about celebrities
and show business in New York. A flurry of gay and lesbian blogs would soon
follow. For the casual reader information was now available and packaged in
short Entertainment Weekly bites that invited a conversation with the reader,
something magazines didn't really do. What few suspected about this phenomenon
was that everyone wanted in on the act. A blog took work, a lot of work: daily
scouring of the news and Internet for tiny morsels of gay-related information.
Once presented, a comments column would allow readers to voice their opinions.
And this is where the trouble started. A blogger could be held responsible for
their words, they were the author of the blog, that was a given. Comments on
the other were anonymous, shielded by secrecy, and apparently, everyone had
something to say. It wasn't just gay blogs, political blogs in particular would
begin with a responsible topic only to conclude in a cavalcade of bitch
fights, no one really listening, just opining. Somehow, in our delusional
minds, we must have thought gay men might be nicer, after all, we were all in
this fight for freedom and equality together, holding hands at vigils and
lighting our united candles together.

Which is not to say that all intelligent conversation has been lost, it hasn't,
it's just hard to discern. And unfortunately, people get personal. JustMe and
LittleKiwi on Towleroad managed to go over forty comments on one story alone,
usually about each other. And this was a fairly innocuous story about a new gay
magazine called HelloMr.

In retrospect, magazines required effort, one had to actually lick a stamp and pray to get their opinion published, now it's all clicks and hide, and one can be as nasty as words will allow.

And we wouldn't change a thing. The fact is, this is who we are. We are exceptionally critical as a cultural group. We sharpen our tongues on a wide variety of subjects, sociological, political, sexual. Gay blogs and the Internet have revealed much. Never has there been a time in history when communication was so vast and expedient. We know more of the mind of a gay man or woman than ever before, not only through the thoughtful, often entertaining world of gay bloggers, but their audience. Just as know more about the intimacies of the sexual life of a person as revealed in cam websites such as cam4 and chaturbate. But we should be cautioned just as an appearance on one of those websites will reveal us, so too, do our comments on gay blogs.

"Through the voices of Americans from all walks of life, THE OUT LIST explores the identities of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in America.
In this series of intimate interviews, a diverse group of LGBT personalities bring color and depth to their experiences of gender and sexuality. With wit and wisdom, this set of trailblazing individuals weaves universal themes of love, loss, trial, and triumph into the determined struggle for full equality.
Activist and actor, politician and provocateur, drag queen and athlete all share personal stories that set them apart and tie them together, revealing a poignant, familiar journey to find themselves and secure a place in modern society."

June 21, 2013

The Continental opened deep in the basement of New York’s
majestic Ansonia Hotel in 1968, advertising the gleaming emporium
as akin to “the glory of ancient Rome.” This legendary gay bath
house, with a host of amenities including a sauna and swimming
pool, a cabaret nightclub, the first light-up dance floor à la
Saturday Night Fever, an “orgy room,” and K-Y jelly in the vending
machines, was a notorious beacon of hedonism, but it also proved
integral to the gay liberation movement of the pre-AIDS era.
Hosting a bevy of now-legendary performers such as Cab Calloway,
Gladys Knight, the Pointer Sisters, Patti Labelle, and most
famously, Bette Midler (aka Bathhouse Betty), with Barry Manilow on
the keys, the Continental shuttered after just seven years. Ingram
tells the club’s colorful story in this extraordinary
documentary.

June 20, 2013

drkrm is pleased to present the male physique photography of John
Palatinus, one of the pioneering physique photographers of the 1950's.
Along with Lon of New York, Bruce of Los Angeles, and Bob Mizer of Athletic Model Guild,
he helped create a whole new genre of male photography. He was a major
influence on Robert Mapplethorpe and may be one of the last living
photographers from the 1950's golden era of physique photography. This
exhibition will be on view from June 8th through June 29th, 2013 with
an Artist reception on Saturday, June 8 from 7-10pm.

John Palatinus is perhaps one of the last living male physique
photographers of the 1950s. He was one of a handful of photographers who
documented the male body through photography of semi-naked, body-proud
weightlifters of the time. His first shoot was done in 1951 in his own
living room in Indiana. Palatinus crafted his own photographic style
which was recognisable by his use of light and minimal background. The
pictures echoed Palatinus' influences, who included Horst P Horst and
George Platt Lynes, while documenting a sub-culture of body perfection
and hyper-masculinity that emerged in the post-war era.

His photographs were published in numerous bodybuilding magazines of the era, most notably Tomorrow's Man, a pocket-sized publication featuring males with posing straps or other coverings for their privates.

In 1954 Palatinus moved to New York, and set up on West 13th
Street in Greenwich Village, taking male physique photographs and
distributing them to eager collectors. He continued to be featured in
"TM" and did a thriving mail-order business, selling his photographs
nationwide. In 1958, Palatinus started shooting and selling full-frontal
nude photos through the mail. This proved to be an unfortunate move.
His studio was raided by the US Postal Inspectors in cooperation with
the New York Police Department and all of his photographs, original
negatives, cameras and equipment were confiscated, never to be returned.
Palatinus was very effectively put out of business. After a trial, he
was convicted not of distribution of so-called pornography, but of
conspiracy, a misdemeanor charge, and spent no time in jail. "When I was
in court in 1959," Palatinus recalls, "The judge said: 'by today's
standards this work is considered pornography, but who knows? In 50
years' time it may be considered art' and that really is true."

Palatinus has lived long enough to see his work become
appreciated by new circles. The nineties saw a huge resurgence in the
collection of Vintage Male Physique photography, spurred on by a
voracious online community. Palatinus now lives in Palm Springs,
California and exhibits his work thoughout the world.

June 19, 2013

June 17, 2013

If you haven't visited Tom and Lorenzo's website "Fabulous and Opionated" you're missing out. These lads turn out a blog that concerns itself mainly with fashion and style as it applies to television and film, but have of late, turned their considerable talents to writing reviews for the Huffington Post and Metrosource.

On that note, they have taken a considerable amount of time to deconstruct the latest happenings in the world of TV's popular Madmen. A certain Bob Benson in particular has brought back to the show the presence of a gay man in advertising in the 60s. What's so great about Tom and Lorenzo is that they delve deep into the historical and sociological aspects of the character. Here's a sample:

But Bob’s life doesn’t necessarily have to be one completely without
companionship or sex. New York City was (and in many ways still is) one
of the best places to be in the country for young gay men with no family
ties. There was a burgeoning gay social scene at this time. There
almost always had been one in New York City, but in the years following
the war, the numbers of detached men and women who migrated to the city
and joined what would later come to be called the “gay community”
expanded tremendously. This is largely why the Stonewall Riots of 1969
happened when they did;
because the gay community finally had the numbers and the
communally-fed anger needed to do something about the institutionalized
harassment they were receiving from the police.

By the way, the Stonewall Riots will be happening practically in Joan’s backyard. Having lived in the Village the entire decade of the sixties, Joan has probably come across more gay people in her day-to-day life than anyone else in the Mad Men story. It makes perfect sense that she would befriend a good-looking young gay man who works with her.

Anyway, we made a point in our initial review
of this episode that Bob comes across “culturally gay,” which is to
say, he’s closeted in work and in many areas of his life, but he likely
has some form of gay social life, given that he knows Manolo well enough
to recommend him for jobs. If you’d like some sense of what this gay
social scene was like and how someone like Bob Benson would have fit
into it, we highly recommend seeing the film version of “The Boys in the
Band.” The play opened off-Broadway in April of 1968 and offers a
near-perfect snapshot of bitchy, self-loathing, pre-Stonewall
middle-class Manhattan gay male socializing. The entire film is available on YouTube. It’s quite the artifact. We would also highly recommend Edmund White’s “A Boy’s Own Story” and “The Beautiful Room is Empty” for an extremely detailed and well-drawn depiction of white gay male life in NYC prior to and around this period.

Read the entire piece on their blog, it is a fascinating analysis and happily, they are both great writers. That we all got most the "facts" about Mr Benson wrong is of no importance—we are but tea readers in the mind of Matthew Weiner, but is good to see the issue being rasied once again. There is enormous speculation about the show in the public— will Don Draper's wife Megan, die a horrible Sharon Tate-ish death, will Don finally pay for his wealth of sins? We have taken to look at the series as a reflection of not only the fashion but the politics and culture of the era in which it exists, the 60s. I would only add to the speculation my own version of endings of the show: its in the credits, literally, in the credits of the show, we are shown a man falling from a New York high-rise. I suspect that is how this ends.

June 14, 2013

I remember the first time I was called Daddy. I was 38, dating a
26-year-old, and gray was appearing in my beard. We stood there in my
apartment, kissing. “You’re my daddy,” he said. My dentures fell out.
Daddy? Me? It seems as if just yesterday I had my hair in Björk buns and
was called a club kid. I wasn't sure how to react, yet stood there
trying to suddenly fit the role.

Daddy was an older guy who had a strong personality, wouldn’t take no
for an answer, and got on top of you. Daddy never showed doubt or
vacillation. For instance, a Daddy would never say, “Does this contain
wheat? I have a gluten allergy.” Above all, a daddy always paid for
things (even when he was a ranch hand), which, I thought, ruled me
out. But this young man I was dating didn’t need me to fulfill all these
stereotypes. I was a Daddy, like it or not.

The daddy — or more specifically, the leather daddy — has been around
for a while in gay eroticism (where, let’s face it, all sexual fetishes
and flexibilities are begat). It’s had a long sadomasochistic fantasy
history. For a schooling, check out Joe Gage’s classic “working man trilogy” porn movies from the late seventies, or, also from that decade, Larry Townsend’s novels and Drummer magazine stories that explore leather subculture. If you’re wondering, the old gay hanky code color is hunter green.

It's summertime and Outfest has arrived. Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is the leading organization
that promotes equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories
on the screen. Outfest builds community by connecting diverse
populations to discover, discuss and celebrate stories of LGBT lives.
Over the past three decades, Outfest has showcased thousands of films
from around the world to audiences of nearly a million, educated and
mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers and protected more than 20,000
LGBT films and videos. Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival is eleven
days of world-class films, discussions and parties.

It is also a great opportunity to mingle with like-minded individuals and see many films that may not get wide release. The Opening Night festivities are always a glamourous event with a red carpet arrival of celebrities, filmmakers and people of interest. Opening night is held at the venerable Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The Ford Theatre hosts the closing night screening while the Directors Guild of America (DGA) is host to most of the screenings.

April 16, 2013

Seventeen-year-old Kim Ho was one of the winners of the 2012 monologue competition Love Bytes, held by Fresh Ink, a development program for emerging playwrights from the Australian Theatre for Young People.

As one of the competition’s winners, Kim was assisted with transforming his original three-minute video entry, Transcendence
— which tells the story of a young gay teen struggling with his
sexuality and the love he feels for a boy in his French class — into the
beautiful nine-minute short film The Language of Love.

“Homosexuality is still a sensitive topic, and I immediately felt
pressured to write something that was candid but not disrespectful to
the LGBT community,” Ho explains on the Fresh Ink website. “I wanted to
write something that would make me cry just like the stunning It’s Time advertisement for marriage equality, something that would resonate with people no matter what their sexuality.”

March 09, 2013

Irvine, CA —
Chicago (and worldwide) cabaret favorite, Rudy de la Mor, died at
Kaiser Hospital in Irvine, Calif. on March 5. Rudy played to packed
houses at Gentry for more than 20 years. He was 73.

Craig
D. Goldsmith, a fellow entertainer, posted on Facebook, "A great many
tears will be shed for the loss that we feel right now. A great amount
of joy must also be spread to have known someone so special! Also to
know that his was a life well lived and lived well!"

A
classically trained pianist, de la Mor was a child prodigy who performed
with the Orange County Symphony Orchestra and the Denver Symphony
Orchestra. He was discovered by the late vaudeville a, film and
television star, Jimmy Durante. As Durante's protégé, de la Mor became
close friends with a number of stars of the era, such as Martha Raye,
Alice Faye, Christine Jorgenson and others.

It was Martha Raye
who was the impetus for the outrageous hats and sequined attire that
became his trademark. After catching one of de la Mor's early sets as a
cabaret performer, she suggested that he focus on the comedic aspects of
his act.

"What's more, she suggested that I wear some of the
curtains my mother might have had and change hats all night long," de la
Mor reported on his website.

He was known for his interaction
with his audience and had the phenomenal ability to remember the name of
everybody in the room in which he was performing. He was a favorite in
LGBT clubs and performed on a number of straight and gay cruises. He had
planned to take part on a cruise March 9.

On Feb. 5, he posted
on his official Facebook page, "To all my dear friends: Thank you all so
much for your kindness and support as I slowly recover from my
illness. Your thoughts and prayers have given me strength and
encouragement. I shall see you soon!! Woooosh! Love Rudy."

-Rick Karlin

UPDATE:
Rudy de la Mor, died at Kaiser Hospital in Irvine, Calif., not at a New
Orange Hills facility in Orange, Calif. as previously reported.

February 24, 2013

Kenneth Faried, the 23-year-old, 6'8" forward for The Denver Nuggets
basketball team, nickname "Manimal," may intimidate on the court. But
off the court, he's a same-sex marriage advocate, supporting his two
moms.

Faried recently sat down with his mothers to speak out on behalf of
civil unions in a video, uploaded by advocacy group OneColorado, an
organization working to protect equality for LGBT Coloradans and their
families.

"I support civil union, because it gives people - gays and lesbians -
the right to make decisions on their own," says Faried in the video.
"If they want to get married and let them choose who they want to be
with."

February 06, 2013

Super Mario lost his Super Bowl bet last Sunday and as a consequence he had to take a lap at the Los Angeles Grove. Mario Lopez, perpetual host and at age 39, a walking or in this case running example of either good genes or super diligent diet and workouts.

Reporting this story on KTLA, channel 5 in Los Angeles, all the reporters got a chuckle, but it was weatherman Henry DiCarlo who seemed the most uncomfortable as he alluded to a "sock" in Mr. Lopez' bright purple underwear. The segment ended with Mr, DiCarlo literally mumbling, "I'm just a guy...".

January 23, 2013

January 16, 2013

NEW YORK, N.Y.—GLAAD has named the film Cloud Atlas, AMC’s reality show Small Town Security, and The New Yorker magazine among its nominees for the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation announced on Wednesday 120 nominees in
English-language categories and 33 nominees in Spanish-language
categories.

Other nominees include the NBC shows Smash and The New Normal, Frank Ocean for his Channel Orange album, the magazine People en Espanol, and Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Neil Patrick Harris and partner David Burtka.

The awards are meant to recognize and
honour media for outstanding images of the gay and lesbian community.
The winners will be announced March 16 in New York and at ceremonies in
April and May in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

January 14, 2013

Could it be that the fashion industry is becoming more diverse? Last week saw androgynous womenswear model Andrej Pejic grace the cover of a mainstream fashion magazine for the first time.

Pejic, according to the Serbian edition of Elle, is the ‘boy
who shook the fashion world’ – a young man who, when dressed head to toe
in John Paul Gaultier and strutting down a catwalk, or posing poutily
from the glossy pages of a magazine, happens to look like an
extraordinarily pretty girl. Indeed, Pejic embodies all the qualities
model scouts look for – litheness, height, and something unique and
extraordinary. In this case, it's long blonde hair, cut-glass cheekbones
and come-to-bed eyes.

Yet Pejic is also clearly a man. No attempts are made to conceal his
wide jaw and his Adam’s apple as he poses in women’s clothing, tiptoeing
along the gender binary and flirting with either side. In an industry
as homogenised as fashion, he has been seen as a breath of fresh air.

But others have questioned whether his success represents the scourge
of female body fascism brought to its logical conclusion. Has fashion’s
seeming rejection of female tits and arse meant that the only body now
able to fit into the sample sizes isn’t a woman’s at all, but that of a
(much less inconveniently lumpy) man? The problem with this line of
argument, however, is that the correlation of mounds of doughy flesh
with femininity is problematic, as we all know. Not all women have
‘curves’, after all.

Meanwhile, there are those who have argued that fashion’s
preoccupation with the ‘un-feminine’ body shape is down to its being
dominated by gay men who apparently want all women to look like little
boys, a theory that has more than a whiff of homophobia about it and
fatally ignores the huge participation of women within the industry. The
message that we’re hearing is that the fashion industry says women’s
bodies are always supposed to look like something else, perhaps anything
else, other than ‘naturally female’. It’s a tempting conclusion - but
the problems with its logic are glaringly inherent.

January 01, 2013

December 18, 2012

Finally! Someone just outright said it: F*cking Young. We love anything with a handwritten logo, and this one is perfect. Of course this is not American, much to risque for this gun-toting culture. This is a magazine born in Barcelona with a first issue on the edge of birth. It’s a celebration of youth, a way of life, an attitude and
inquisitiveness. The press release tells us: "There are no age, city or country limits – we can all
feel young, we never stop." So true. If we can get them to send a review copy, we will do just that. For now, stay F ing young!

Fucking Young! began as an inspirational platform focusing on youthful
aesthetics derived from manly hemispheres. Our freedom allowed us to
merge established with emerging artists, thus aiding the latter reaching
their own public. A synergy that owed most to a passion for the arts
has since grown to a state where not only do we promote content created
by others, moreover we sponsor and collaborate in birthing such work.

December 06, 2012

West Hollywood gay men who are hoping for a commitment-free hookup
have an extra-special reason to celebrate, as their city has been named
the most promiscuous U.S. destination in a new poll.

SeekingArrangement.com,
which bills itself as the world's largest "sugar daddy" dating website,
polled 11,000 of its active gay members on how many join dating
websites with casual sex as their main motivation. West Hollywood took
the top spot based on how many gay male members responded to having 10
or more sexual partners in the course of a year, followed by Washington,
D.C. and San Francisco in second and third place, respectively.

“According to our study, more gay males utilize online dating for
‘hooking up’ compared to heterosexual males," the site's founder Brandon
Wade said in a statement. "While there is always potential to fall in
love, online dating makes it very easy to find singles who are similarly
looking for something less serious.”

December 04, 2012

Chicago,
Illinois - As gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals
became more visible in the 1950s and 1960s, the mainstream media
perpetuated the attitude that they were mentally ill and morally
depraved queers, freaks, degenerates, perverts, misfits, and even
threats to national security. In many cities, the police raided gay
bars, harassing and arresting patrons.

Community-based
gay newsletters and newspapers emerged to counteract the distorted view
of non-heterosexuals and to support the rising gay-rights movement.
They addressed gay issues, formed a sense of unity, announced
demonstrations, and tracked the progress of legal and political action.

Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America, edited
and co-written by Tracy Baim, publisher of Chicago's gay publication
Windy City Times, is a comprehensive overview of the past, present, and
future of gay print media. Baim uses essays, interviews, and hundreds of
news clips and images from both mainstream and early gay publications
to describe the critical role of the gay press. Award-winning historian
John D'Emilio provided the book's foreword.

December 01, 2012

November 07, 2012

(CNN) -- In a historic turnaround, the ballot box is showing America's shifting attitudes about same-sex marriage. After gay marriage rights died at the polls dozens of times in the past, on Tuesday they passed in at least two states.

November 03, 2012

"Redneck Island" hardly sounds like a welcoming place for a gay man. But Adam Freeman, a Nashville hairstylist who came out of the closet four years ago, shipped out to CMT's reality show this year for several weeks, finishing unscathed and in second place.

October 29, 2012

Our friends at fantastics magazine have unearthed one of our favorite models. With the improbable name of Hunter Trevelyan Wyndham, Hunter is a a photographer, illustrator, graphic designer and graduate from the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara—he is also ridiculously sexy. A native of Oregon, Mr. Wyndham now lives in Hawaii. If he looks familiar that is because for years now there is a series of nudes floating about that reveal he has changed little over the years. Our thanks to fantastics for a wonderful editorial!

October 22, 2012

LA's Frontiers magazine has recently added an online publication to its website. Positive Frontiers is “an innovative, online experience that explores issues of lifestyle, culture and wellness as related to HIV,” according to the website's publishers.

October 19, 2012

September 22, 2012

New York, NY -After 20 years in production, In The Life Media (ITLM)
announced that December 2012 will mark the last broadcast of IN THE
LIFE. Though legally dissolving the organization is a process that will
continue into 2013, all regular ITLM operations will conclude with the
final broadcast.

At a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) people were virtually invisible in media, ITLM became
the first to bring real stories, struggles and issues about the LGBT
experience into living rooms across the country through its public
television show, IN THE LIFE.

Beginning as a variety show in 1992,
IN THE LIFE evolved into its current newsmagazine format throughout the
years, becoming the most honored and respected source for LGBT
journalism along the way. In addressing difficult, critical issues, the
show regularly gives voice to marginalized individuals, profiles unsung
heroes of the LGBT movement and documents its most historic moments. It
was the first major, national media outlet to expose the alarmingly high
rates of homelessness among LGBT youth, epidemic rates of suicide among
LGBT children who are bullied and the discrimination of transgender
individuals in the workplace.

"ITLM has had the extraordinary
privilege and responsibility of being the only newsmagazine to reflect
the diversity of the LGBT communities, daring to tell stories other
media outlets - both mainstream and LGBT - did not touch," said ITLM
Interim Executive Director Ellen Carton.

Much has changed since IN
THE LIFE first premiered. LGBT people now figure prominently in
television news and media. A majority of Americans, including the
President, now support marriage equality. Studies show that visibility
is the driving force behind this rapid shift in cultural attitudes
toward the LGBT community. "As the media organization that pioneered
LGBT visibility on television," says ITLM Co-Chair Jayne Sherman, "we
believe ITLM played a significant role in this historic progress."

ITLM
is coming to an end, but its vision is not. The organization will pass
the baton onto communities, networks and individuals in the form of an
online hub featuring thousands of hours of incomparable and
never-before seen ITLM footage. Users will view, share and build on the
archive with their own stories, using the power of open source,
interactive technology to create a new wave of compelling LGBT media
that will break down barriers to lasting social and political justice.

ITLM
has entered into conversations with other organizations with the
potential, passion and infrastructure to create and lead this project.

"Creating
high quality, in-depth journalism is expensive, but digital
technologies provide a new way forward," said Board Co-Chair Henry van
Ameringen. "I am immeasurably proud of our legacy and the critical role
we’ve played in the movement. We are committed to preserving our
invaluable archive chronicling the evolution of LGBT rights in America
with an online product that will continue to advance equality in new and
innovative ways."

For twenty years, In The Life Media has been a
leading media organization for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) movement. One of the nation’s most honored and
influential LGBT groups, In The Life Media creates social and political
change by examining issues critical to LGBT individuals and providing
audiences with powerful ways to advance equality within, and beyond,
their communities.

Produced by In The Life Media, the
Emmy-nominated series, IN THE LIFE, was the first-and remains the
only-LGBT newsmagazine on public television. IN THE LIFE is a two-time
Emmy Award nominee, a Lambda Legal Liberty Award honoree, a Seigenthaler
Award recipient from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists
Association and a Ribbon of Hope Award recipient from The Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences: www.ITLMedia.org.

Now you may be wondering who that lovely creature is in the photo. We did too, because he isn't mentioned in the article other than a caption which refers to him as "voice-over artist" for the show. It does seem an odd way to report the demise of the pretty good television show, but, eh, media. Anyway, that is the multi-talented Triple Edwards, who is an artist, singer, model, actor and....

July 19, 2012

Damn, conservatives are an interesting bunch. Sticking to a long-held, mythical idea that pedophiles are lurking in the ranks of the Boy Scouts, wanna be, Mick Huckabee seems to ignore the real magnets for boy lust: the Catholic Church and football coaches:

Though the Boy Scouts of America has not yet explained what conclusions led it to reaffirm that discriminating against gay scouts and leaders was “absolutely the best policy” for its organization, plenty of conservatives have made clear which fallacious anti-gay myth they believe motivated the decision. On his radio show yesterday, Mike Huckabee spelled out in no uncertain terms that he believes the policy is “right” because it protects boys from abuse. He welcomed a call from a listener who had been abused by his scout leader, and Huckabee agreed that part of the definition of “homosexual” is molesting children: story coninues here

July 18, 2012

July 06, 2012

The press release begins: "It has been decades since The Advocate, the world’s leading gay news source, has made a presidential endorsement. The president’s statement on May 9 of this year, unequivocally in favor of marriage equality, along with his record on LGBT rights, has distinguished Barack Obama for the ages and has made it clear that he is a transformational leader and our best choice for president."

While the endorsement of Obama is not surprising, it is surprising that the Advocate did not endorse him earlier.

Better late than never.

The choice of an illustrated cover, Obama-as-emancipator is curious. While the gay community can certainly claim injustices and intolerance, the last time we looked, we were not particularly enslaved, and the whole thing is a bit premature.

Oh girl, how things have changed! A few notes about this torrid documentary narrated by the late Mike Wallace, who seems to be enjoying himself a little too much. The psychiatrist in this film is Charles W. Socarides, who was an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, physician, educator, and author. He spent his life claiming to have the "cure" for homosexuality, which apparently did work very well for his own family as his son, Richard, a highly public Democratic political strategist and commentator, is openly gay.

June 02, 2012

The Other Side, a piano bar in Los Angeles that has catered to the gay community for over 40 years in Silverlake, CA., is set to close to this month. A friendly, musical place where the bartenders were sweet (as opposed to the west side's Abbey where drinks are always served with attitude) Jane Cantillon is just wrapping up production of her documentary, "The Other Side, a Queer History," and now is shooting an ending she wishes she didn't have to. The bar's demise mirrors Silverlake's waning status as a gay community. "The gay population slowly, quietly migrated to the West Side, to unincorporated West Hollywood, where the Sheriff's department wasn't as cruel or harsh," she says. Her film features many men recounting LAPD raids, where a stray look or a hand on the shoulder would be willfully misinterpreted as a lewd and lascivious act by vice cops looking to shut down an undesirable gathering place.
And yes, the clientele could be dangerously close to retirement age, but despite all evidence to the contrary, old gay men need a social life too. Pianos bars and this quaint piano bar itself, fulfilled many social aspects that are quickly disappearing. A recent trip to Palm Springs, speaking of retirement age, provided a glimpse into the future: at local gay bars, people would be engaged with their cell phones, not one another, as they sat outside Hunters and cruised via Grindr. It is apparently more interesting to engage with an entity on an app, whose photo is most likely ten years old, than have to face the prospect of actually dealing with, wait, here it comes, personality. Which is why the demise of The Other Side is even more poignant, it really does signal the end of an era, a time when we sat around a piano singing the Broadway hits in unison with our fellow musical gay loving brothers and sisters.

May 31, 2012

May 01, 2012

AMC's new original series The Pitch offers viewers an intense, gripping, never-before-seen glimpse inside America’s top ad agencies. Each week two agencies compete to win a new client the only way they can: by going head-to-head in a cutthroat, winner-takes-all showdown, a presentation known as The Pitch. With only seven days to prepare, the pressure to perform is intense. The whining, the brainstorming, the blue-sky thinking: it’s all here as the teams work around the clock and pray for the moment of inspiration that will win them the job and keep their companies alive. The drama is real, the stakes are high, and the clock is ticking. From the producers of Project Runway, Undercover Boss. And that's just the press release.

"It's only fair to say that in the two episodes that have aired,

agencies have gotten it wrong, twice."

Last night's episode featured two agencies, SK+G and The Ad Store pitching to WM (Waste Management) as they try to recreate the image for the company that is not just about trash. SK+G is a Las Vegas agency known for their Vegas clients (nearly every major hotel, how does that work?) and looking to break out into things less hospitality and more, in this case, waste. The AD Store is an agency founded by Peter Cappelli, whose client have included JetBlue, GoDaddy, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Zappos. Advertising is curious profession: creating unique persuasions for people to buy things.

What the Pitch has going for it, is the essential ingredient: drama. The SK+G agency fulfilled that, as it appears to be an agency with TWO creative heads, which just can't help but butting them.

As we are introduced to Peter Cappelli, he seems affable, slightly worn with a rich nicotine-based baritone. As we watch Peter work in his office, one can't help but notice the rather attractive guy at the computer, Steven. As the Ad Store creates its pitch we are witness to the working relationships of the people involved, and then, without a beat, Peter tell us that Steven is his boyfriend of fifteen years. We are immediately taken into their home, where cocktails and a very warm relationship are revealed.

The Ad Store does not get the account. Clients seem to be dazzled by anything that hints at social media, so it could only be that SK+G got the account because they introduced Waste Management to the concept of a QR reader (Quick Response Code: one of those black pattern codes that takes one to a website in a jiffy). In the pilot episode, an obscure rapper was plucked from anonymity, given his 25 seconds of fame and sent home. They also won. It's only fair to say that in the two episodes that have aired, agencies have gotten it wrong, twice.

But, it was nice to meet Peter and Steven, a lovely couple, a talented couple, winners.

April 24, 2012

Many gay men think that gay marriage is, ah, a sideshow, claiming that we should call it "the bond", the "union", the "partnership" instead of marriage. That pregnant little word "marriage" carries a lot of weight, emotionally and politically. Leave it the the Brits to remind us that while we can fight for our country—we can die for our country, we cannot marry. Directed by Mike Buonaiuto, award winning director of short films and commercials, he has created a poignant reminder for the Coalition for Equal Marriage in England, that though we serve, we do not share some basic rights. The short film stars James Knight, from London’s West End and rising screen-star Lew Smart.
For more information on the cause and the film, click here

April 23, 2012

The final issue of Out magazine as something that is produced by an editorial team for Here Media is OUT. Of late, the magazine has never looked better. But that was not enough to survive in an environment of quick fixes and immediate gratifications, the magazine is reportedly not dead, but in transition. Aaron Hicklin, the editor-in-chief of Out magazine reports that the magazine will be produced by his new venture, Grand Editorial, and "contract" the magazine on a monthly basis for Here Media. This means the current staff is now freelance. Hicklin issued this press release: “I’m thrilled that Here Media, Out’s parent company, sees the value in this exciting new initiative,” says Hicklin, adding: “I’m profoundly committed to Out’s ongoing evolution, and beyond happy to be able to continue doing what I love best while also having the opportunity to explore new ways of thinking about the relationship between editorial and publishing.”

Out was founded by Michael Goff in 1992 as editor in chief and president. He and executive editor Sarah Pettit (since deceased) together built it into the largest circulation gay publication, featuring prominent writers (such as Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris). By avoiding sexually explicit material and personal classifieds, the publication was able to attract more mainstream advertisers than previous publications aimed at gay readers. Goff presented the idea to The Advocate editor Richard Rouillard in 1992 and was turned down as the The Advocate was then dealing with creating another publication for its less-than-savory advertising. Out became wildly successful and enjoyed the highest circulation of any monthly gay publication.

Hicklin contends that the publication will return: "With any startup, there are always risks," Hicklin said. "But for lots of publications, midsize publications especially, I think it makes sense to be a little more innovative in thinking about how they find ways to continue creating high quality content while being mindful of the huge transition the media is going through."

Colfer stars in the coming-of-age comedy Struck by Lightning that has been set up with David Permut (Youth in Revolt). The plot revolves around Colfer's character, who is struck and killed by a bolt of lightning, and chronicles his exploits as he blackmails his fellow senior classmates into contributing to a literary magazine he is publishing. Colfer also wrote the script for Struck By Lightning, which was shot during the Glee hiatus in the summer of 2011. The film is written and directed by Golfer.

January 04, 2012

Writer Ramin Setoodeh takes on the ultimate Hollywood taboo, gay sex, at the least kind between men in an interesting essay that speculates on the various reasons that actually seeing gay sex is not more forthcoming:

By now, you’ve probably heard about Shame, this generation’s Last Tango in Paris. Michael Fassbender plays a single (and often naked) Manhattan bachelor named Brandon obsessed with sex, and the movie offers a voyeuristic look into his anonymous encounters with various women. One afternoon he even has sex with a pretty blonde prostitute against the window of the Standard Hotel, for all of downtown New York to see.

On another drunken night, Brandon wanders into a gay club. He’s so desperate for sex, he’ll sleep with anybody—even a man. The scene is meant to illustrate how depraved his character has become, but the moment is a turning point for another reason. For the first time in the film, Shame is ashamed to show you what Brandon experiences. In a dark underground corridor, a guy unzips Brandon’s pants … and the camera cuts away. The screen fades to black.

Gay sex is the last Hollywood taboo. When Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet as the first openly gay sitcom star in 1997—and her fictional self followed suit—a parade of gay characters came after her. There was Will & Grace, and Carrie Bradshaw’s Sex and the City sidekick, Stanford. In movies, the gay best friend became a staple, from My Best Friend’s Wedding to Mean Girls.

Yet none of these characters do what gay men do. As Hollywood portrays it, the homosexual man is, astonishingly, sexless.

If you can’t name any great love scenes between two men in hit films or TV shows in 2011, it’s because there weren’t any. Last summer, Justin Timberlake experienced all the benefits in Friends With Benefits, while his gay pal (played by Woody Harrelson) was sidelined. On Glee, Kurt finally lost his virginity to his boyfriend—off camera, to the frustration of many of the show’s fans. When Christopher Plummer came out of the closet in Beginners, he signaled the occasion by wearing purple (his younger boyfriend hovered in the background). Leonardo DiCaprio’s J. Edgar had a hot male companion (Armie Hammer), but he exchanged only a single kiss with him.

The hip-hop mogul tweeted that he was "proud of Taylor Lautner for his bravery and his courage," but upon realizing that the image was a hoax, he rescinded his initial statement, writing instead that he was "disappointed that people would joke about someone coming out about their sexuality. Let Taylor Lautner be whoever he wants to be..."

Lautner, 19, is no stranger to rumors about his sexuality. In November, he told Parade magazine that "it's tough" to avoid reading about himself: "It's definitely impossible to avoid stuff about me sometimes, but it's pretty important to try.

"It's very rare that things are true about yourself that are on the Internet," he said at the time. "It's just sad sometimes. So you definitely want to stay away from it as much as possible."